Wireless power transmitter for high fidelity communications at high power transfer

ABSTRACT

Wireless power transfer systems, disclosed, include one or more circuits to facilitate high power transfer at high frequencies. Such wireless power transfer systems include a damping circuit, configured to dampen a wireless power signal such that communications fidelity is upheld at high power. The damping circuit includes at least a damping transistor that is configured to receive, from the transmitter controller, a damping signal for switching the transistor to control damping during transmission of the wireless data signals. Utilizing such systems enables wireless power transfer at high frequency, such as 13.56 MHz, at voltages over 1 Watt, while maintaining fidelity of in-band communications associated with the higher power wireless power signal.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods forwireless transfer of electrical power and/or electrical data signals,and, more particularly, to high frequency wireless power transfer atelevated power levels, while maintaining communications fidelity.

BACKGROUND

Wireless connection systems are used in a variety of applications forthe wireless transfer of electrical energy, electrical power,electromagnetic energy, electrical data signals, among other knownwirelessly transmittable signals. Such systems often use inductivewireless power transfer, which occurs when magnetic fields created by atransmitting element induce an electric field, and hence, an electriccurrent, in a receiving element. These transmitting and receivingelements will often take the form of coiled wires and/or antennas.

Transmission of one or more of electrical energy, electrical power,electromagnetic energy and/or electronic data signals from one of suchcoiled antennas to another, generally, operates at an operatingfrequency and/or an operating frequency range. The operating frequencymay be selected for a variety of reasons, such as, but not limited to,power transfer characteristics, power level characteristics,self-resonant frequency restraints, design requirements, adherence tostandards bodies' required characteristics (e.g. electromagneticinterference (EMI) requirements, specific absorption rate (SAR)requirements, among other things), bill of materials (BOM), and/or formfactor constraints, among other things. It is to be noted that,“self-resonating frequency,” as known to those having skill in the art,generally refers to the resonant frequency of a passive component (e.g.,an inductor) due to the parasitic characteristics of the component.

When such systems operate to wirelessly transfer power from atransmission system to a receiver system, via the coils and/or antennas,it is often desired to simultaneously or intermittently communicateelectronic data from one system to the other. To that end, a variety ofcommunications systems, methods, and/or apparatus have been utilized forcombined wireless power and wireless data transfer. In some examplesystems, wireless power transfer related communications (e.g.,validation procedures, electronic characteristics data communications,voltage data, current data, device type data, among other contemplateddata communications) are performed using other circuitry, such as anoptional Near Field Communications (NFC) antenna utilized to complimentthe wireless power system and/or additional Bluetooth chipsets for datacommunications, among other known communications circuits and/orantennas.

However, using additional antennas and/or circuitry can give rise toseveral disadvantages. For instance, using additional antennas and/orcircuitry can be inefficient and/or can increase the BOM of a wirelesspower system, which raises the cost for putting wireless power into anelectronic device. Further, in some such systems, out of bandcommunications caused by such additional antennas may result ininterference, such as out of band cross-talk between such antennas.Further yet, inclusion of such additional antennas and/or circuitry canresult in worsened EMI, as introduction of the additional system willcause greater harmonic distortion, in comparison to a system whereinboth a wireless power signal and a data signal are within the samechannel. Still further, inclusion of additional antennas and/orcircuitry hardware, for communications, may increase the area within adevice, for which the wireless power systems and/or components thereofreside, complicating a build of an end product.

To avoid these issues, as has been illustrated with modern NFC DirectCharge (NFC-DC) systems and/or NFC Wireless Charging systems incommercial devices, legacy hardware and/or hardware based on legacydevices may be leveraged to implement both wireless power transfer anddata transfer, either simultaneously or in an alternating manner.However, current communications antennas and/or circuits for highfrequency communications, when leveraged for wireless power transfer,have much lower power level capabilities than lower frequency wirelesspower transfer systems, such as the Wireless Power Consortium's Qistandard devices. Utilizing higher power levels in current highfrequency circuits may result in damage to the legacy equipment.

Additionally, when utilizing higher power transfer capabilities in suchhigh frequency systems, such as those found in legacy systems, wirelesscommunications may be degraded when wireless power transfer exceeds lowpower levels (e.g., 300 mW transferred and below). However, withoutclearly communicable and non-distorted data communications, wirelesspower transfer may not be feasible.

SUMMARY

To that end, new high frequency wireless power transmission systems,which utilize new circuits for allowing higher power transfer (greaterthan 300 mW), without degrading communications below a desired standarddata protocol, are desired.

Wireless transmission systems disclosed herein may include a dampingcircuit, which is configured for damping an AC wireless signal duringtransmission of the AC wireless signal and associated data signals. Thedamping circuit may be configured to reduce rise and fall times duringsignal transmission, such that the rate of the data signals may not onlybe compliant and/or legible but may also achieve faster data ratesand/or enhanced data ranges, when compared to legacy systems.

Damping circuits of the present disclosure may include one or more of adamping diode, a damping capacitor, a damping resistor, or anycombinations thereof for further enhancing signal characteristics and/orsignal quality.

In some embodiments wherein the damping circuit includes the dampingresistor, the damping resistor is in electrical series with the dampingtransistor 63 and has a resistance value (ohms) configured such that itdissipates at least some power from the power signal. Such dissipationmay serve to accelerate rise and fall times in an amplitude shift keyingsignal, an on-off-keying (OOK) signal, and/or combinations thereof.

In some such embodiments, the value of the damping resistor is selected,configured, and/or designed such that the damping resistor dissipatesthe minimum amount of power to achieve the fastest rise and/or falltimes in an in-band signal allowable and/or satisfy standardslimitations for minimum rise and/or fall times; thereby achieving datafidelity at maximum efficiency (less power lost to resistance) as wellas maintaining data fidelity when the system is unloaded and/or underlightest load conditions.

In some embodiments wherein the damping circuit includes the dampingcapacitor, the damping capacitor may be configured to smooth outtransition points in an in-band signal and limit overshoot and/orundershoot conditions in such a signal.

In some embodiments wherein the damping circuit includes the dampingdiode, the diode is positioned such that a current cannot flow out ofthe damping circuit, when a damping transistor is in an off state. Thus,the diode may prevent power efficiency loss in an AC power signal whenthe damping circuit is not active.

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a wireless powertransmission system is disclosed. The wireless power transmission systemincludes a transmitter antenna, a transmitter controller, an amplifier,and a damping circuit. The transmitter antenna is configured to couplewith at least one other antenna and transmit alternating current (AC)wireless signals to the at least one antenna, the AC wireless signalsincluding wireless power signals and wireless data signals. Thetransmitter controller is configured to (i) provide a driving signal fordriving the transmitter antenna based on an operating frequency for thewireless power transfer system and (ii) perform one or more of encodingthe wireless data signals, decoding the wireless data signals, receivingthe wireless data signals, or transmitting the wireless data signals.The amplifier includes at least one transistor that is configured toreceive the driving signal at a gate of the at least one transistor andinvert a direct power (DC) input power signal to generate the ACwireless signal at the operating frequency. The a damping circuit isconfigured to dampen the AC wireless signals during transmission of thewireless data signals, wherein the damping circuit includes at least adamping transistor that is configured to receive, from the transmittercontroller, a damping signal for switching the transistor to controldamping during transmission of the wireless data signals. The dampingcircuit is connected in electrical parallel with the amplifier.

In a refinement, the wireless data signals are in-band signals of thewireless power signals and the damping of the wireless signals isconfigured to reduce one or both of rise and fall times in the wirelessdata signals, during in-band transmission of the wireless data signals.

In a further refinement, the wireless data signals are in-bandon-off-keying signals of the wireless power signal.

In yet a further refinement, the damping signal is a substantiallyopposite signal of the wireless data signals.

In a refinement, the wireless data signals are in-band amplitude shiftkeying signals of the wireless power signal.

In a refinement, the damping circuit further includes a damping resistorthat is in electrical series with the damping transistor and isconfigured for dissipating at least some power from the power signal.

In a refinement, the damping circuit further includes a dampingcapacitor that is in electrical series with, at least, the dampingtransistor.

In a refinement, the damping circuit further includes a diode that is inelectrical series with, at least, the damping transistor and isconfigured for preventing power efficiency loss in the wireless powersignal when the damping circuit is not active.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a wireless powertransmission system is disclosed. The wireless power transmission systemincludes a transmitter antenna, a transmitter tuning system, atransmitter controller, an amplifier, and a damping circuit. Thetransmitter antenna is configured to couple with at least one otherantenna and transmit alternating current (AC) wireless signals to the atleast one antenna, the AC wireless signals including wireless powersignals and wireless data signals. The transmitter tuning system is inelectrical connection with the transmitter antenna. The transmittercontroller is configured to (i) provide a driving signal for driving thetransmitter antenna based on an operating frequency for the wirelesspower transfer system and (ii) perform one or more of encoding thewireless data signals, decoding the wireless data signals, receiving thewireless data signals, or transmitting the wireless data signals. Theamplifier includes at least one transistor that is configured to receivethe driving signal at a gate of the at least one transistor and invert adirect power (DC) input power signal to generate the AC wireless signalat the operating frequency. The a damping circuit is configured todampen the AC wireless signals during transmission of the wireless datasignals, wherein the damping circuit includes at least a dampingtransistor that is configured to receive, from the transmittercontroller, a damping signal for switching the transistor to controldamping during transmission of the wireless data signals. The dampingcircuit is connected in electrical parallel with the transmitter tuningsystem.

In a refinement, the wireless data signals are in-band signals of thewireless power signals and the damping of the wireless signals isconfigured to reduce one or both of rise and fall times in the wirelessdata signals, during in-band transmission of the wireless data signals.

In a further refinement, the wireless data signals are in-bandon-off-keying signals of the wireless power signal.

In yet a further refinement, the damping signal is a substantiallyopposite signal of the wireless data signals.

In a refinement, the wireless data signals are in-band amplitude shiftkeying signals of the wireless power signal.

In a refinement, the damping circuit further includes a damping resistorthat is in electrical series with the damping transistor and isconfigured for dissipating at least some power from the power signal.

In a refinement, the damping circuit further includes a dampingcapacitor that is in electrical series with, at least, the dampingtransistor.

In a refinement, the damping circuit further includes a diode that is inelectrical series with, at least, the damping transistor and isconfigured for preventing power efficiency loss in the wireless powersignal when the damping circuit is not active.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the disclosure, a listener fora Near-Field Communications Direct Charge (NFC-DC) system is disclosed.The listener includes a transmitter antenna, a transmitter controller,an amplifier, and a damping circuit. The transmitter antenna isconfigured to couple with at least one other antenna and transmitalternating current (AC) wireless signals to the at least one antenna,the AC wireless signals including wireless power signals and wirelessdata signals. The transmitter controller is configured to (i) provide adriving signal for driving the transmitter antenna based on an operatingfrequency for the wireless power transfer system and (ii) perform one ormore of encoding the wireless data signals, decoding the wireless datasignals, receiving the wireless data signals, or transmitting thewireless data signals. The amplifier includes at least one transistorthat is configured to receive the driving signal at a gate of the atleast one transistor and invert a direct power (DC) input power signalto generate the AC wireless signal at the operating frequency. Thedamping circuit is configured to dampen the AC wireless signals duringtransmission of the wireless data signals, wherein the damping circuitincludes at least a damping transistor that is configured to receive,from the transmitter controller, a damping signal for switching thetransistor to control damping during transmission of the wireless datasignals.

In a refinement, the damping circuit is connected in electrical parallelwith the amplifier.

In a refinement, the listener further includes a transmitter tuningsystem in electrical connection with the transmitter antenna and thedamping circuit is connected in electrical parallel with the transmittertuning system.

In a refinement, the operating frequency is in a range of about 13.553MHz to about 13.567 MHz.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system for wirelesslytransferring one or more of electrical energy, electrical power signals,electrical power, electromagnetic energy, electronic data, andcombinations thereof, in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of a wirelesstransmission system of the system of FIG. 1 and a wireless receiversystem of the system of FIG. 1, in accordance with FIG. 1 and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of a transmissioncontrol system of the wireless transmission system of FIG. 2, inaccordance with FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a sensing system ofthe transmission control system of FIG. 3, in accordance with FIGS. 1-3and the present disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a block diagram illustrating components of a powerconditioning system of the wireless transmission system of FIG. 2, inaccordance with FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 5B is another block diagram illustrating components of the powerconditioning system of the wireless transmission system of FIG. 2, inaccordance with FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of elements of the wireless transmissionsystem of FIGS. 1-5A, further illustrating components of an amplifier ofthe power conditioning system of FIG. 5A and signal characteristics forwireless power transmission, in accordance with FIGS. 1-5A and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6B is a block diagram of elements of the wireless transmissionsystem of FIGS. 1-4 and 5B, further illustrating components of anamplifier of the power conditioning system of FIG. 5B and signalcharacteristics for wireless power transmission, in accordance withFIGS. 1-4, 5B, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 7A is an electrical schematic diagram of elements of the wirelesstransmission system of FIGS. 1-5A, and 6A, further illustratingcomponents of the power conditioning system and the damping circuit ofFIGS. 5A and 6A, in accordance with FIGS. 1-5A, 6A, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7B is an electrical schematic diagram of elements of the wirelesstransmission system of FIGS. 1-4, 5B, and 6B, further illustratingcomponents of the power conditioning system and the damping circuit ofFIGS. 5B and 6B, in accordance with FIGS. 1-4, 5B, 6B, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8A is an exemplary plot illustrating rise and fall of “on” and“off” conditions when a signal has in-band communications via on-offkeying.

FIG. 8B is an exemplary plot illustrating rise and fall of “on” and“off” conditions when a signal has in-band communications via amplitudeshift keying.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating components of a receiver controlsystem and a receiver power conditioning system of the wireless receiversystem of FIG. 2, in accordance with FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a non-limiting, exemplary antenna, for use asone or both of a transmission antenna and a receiver antenna of thesystem of FIGS. 1-7, 9-11 and/or any other systems, methods, orapparatus disclosed herein, in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for a method for designing a system for wirelesstransmission of one or more of electrical energy, electrical powersignals, electrical power, electrical electromagnetic energy, electronicdata, and combinations thereof, in accordance with FIGS. 1-7, 9, and thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart for an exemplary method for designing a wirelesstransmission system for the system of FIG. 11, in accordance with FIGS.1-7, 9, 11, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart for an exemplary method for designing a wirelessreceiver system for the system of FIG. 11, in accordance with FIGS. 1-7,9, 11, 12 and the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart for an exemplary method for manufacturing asystem for wireless transmission of one or more of electrical energy,electrical power signals, electrical power, electrical electromagneticenergy, electronic data, and combinations thereof, in accordance withFIGS. 1-7, 9, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart for an exemplary method for manufacturing awireless transmission system for the system of FIG. 14, in accordancewith FIGS. 1-7, 9, 14, and the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart for an exemplary method for designing a wirelessreceiver system for the system of FIG. 14, in accordance with FIGS. 1-7,9, 14, 15 and the present disclosure.

While the following detailed description will be given with respect tocertain illustrative embodiments, it should be understood that thedrawings are not necessarily to scale and the disclosed embodiments aresometimes illustrated diagrammatically and in partial views. Inaddition, in certain instances, details which are not necessary for anunderstanding of the disclosed subject matter or which render otherdetails too difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It shouldtherefore be understood that this disclosure is not limited to theparticular embodiments disclosed and illustrated herein, but rather to afair reading of the entire disclosure and claims, as well as anyequivalents thereto. Additional, different, or fewer components andmethods may be included in the systems and methods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth byway of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding of therelevant teachings. However, it should be apparent to those skilled inthe art that the present teachings may be practiced without suchdetails. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components,and/or circuitry have been described at a relatively high-level, withoutdetail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the presentteachings.

Referring now to the drawings and with specific reference to FIG. 1, awireless power transfer system 10 is illustrated. The wireless powertransfer system 10 provides for the wireless transmission of electricalsignals, such as, but not limited to, electrical energy, electricalpower, electrical power signals, electromagnetic energy, andelectronically transmittable data (“electronic data”). As used herein,the term “electrical power signal” refers to an electrical signaltransmitted specifically to provide meaningful electrical energy forcharging and/or directly powering a load, whereas the term “electronicdata signal” refers to an electrical signal that is utilized to conveydata across a medium.

The wireless power transfer system 10 provides for the wirelesstransmission of electrical signals via near field magnetic coupling. Asshown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the wireless power transfer system 10includes a wireless transmission system 20 and a wireless receiversystem 30. The wireless receiver system is configured to receiveelectrical signals from, at least, the wireless transmission system 20.In some examples, such as examples wherein the wireless power transfersystem is configured for wireless power transfer via the Near FieldCommunications Direct Charge (NFC-DC) or Near Field CommunicationsWireless Charging (NFC WC) draft or accepted standard, the wirelesstransmission system 20 may be referenced as a “listener” of the NFC-DCwireless transfer system 20 and the wireless receiver system 30 may bereferenced as a “poller” of the NFC-DC wireless transfer system.

As illustrated, the wireless transmission system 20 and wirelessreceiver system 30 may be configured to transmit electrical signalsacross, at least, a separation distance or gap 17. A separation distanceor gap, such as the gap 17, in the context of a wireless power transfersystem, such as the system 10, does not include a physical connection,such as a wired connection. There may be intermediary objects located ina separation distance or gap, such as, but not limited to, air, acounter top, a casing for an electronic device, a plastic filament, aninsulator, a mechanical wall, among other things; however, there is nophysical, electrical connection at such a separation distance or gap.

Thus, the combination of the wireless transmission system 20 and thewireless receiver system 30 create an electrical connection without theneed for a physical connection. As used herein, the term “electricalconnection” refers to any facilitation of a transfer of an electricalcurrent, voltage, and/or power from a first location, device, component,and/or source to a second location, device, component, and/ordestination. An “electrical connection” may be a physical connection,such as, but not limited to, a wire, a trace, a via, among otherphysical electrical connections, connecting a first location, device,component, and/or source to a second location, device, component, and/ordestination. Additionally or alternatively, an “electrical connection”may be a wireless power and/or data transfer, such as, but not limitedto, magnetic, electromagnetic, resonant, and/or inductive field, amongother wireless power and/or data transfers, connecting a first location,device, component, and/or source to a second location, device,component, and/or destination.

In some cases, the gap 17 may also be referenced as a “Z-Distance,”because, if one considers an antenna 21, 31 each to be disposedsubstantially along respective common X-Y planes, then the distanceseparating the antennas 21, 31 is the gap in a “Z” or “depth” direction.However, flexible and/or non-planar coils are certainly contemplated byembodiments of the present disclosure and, thus, it is contemplated thatthe gap 17 may not be uniform, across an envelope of connectiondistances between the antennas 21, 31. It is contemplated that varioustunings, configurations, and/or other parameters may alter the possiblemaximum distance of the gap 17, such that electrical transmission fromthe wireless transmission system 20 to the wireless receiver system 30remains possible.

The wireless power transfer system 10 operates when the wirelesstransmission system 20 and the wireless receiver system 30 are coupled.As used herein, the terms “couples,” “coupled,” and “coupling” generallyrefer to magnetic field coupling, which occurs when a transmitter and/orany components thereof and a receiver and/or any components thereof arecoupled to each other through a magnetic field. Such coupling mayinclude coupling, represented by a coupling coefficient (k), that is atleast sufficient for an induced electrical power signal, from atransmitter, to be harnessed by a receiver. Coupling of the wirelesstransmission system 20 and the wireless receiver system 30, in thesystem 10, may be represented by a resonant coupling coefficient of thesystem 10 and, for the purposes of wireless power transfer, the couplingcoefficient for the system 10 may be in the range of about 0.01 and 0.9.

As illustrated, the wireless transmission system 20 may be associatedwith a host device 11, which may receive power from an input powersource 12. The host device 11 may be any electrically operated device,circuit board, electronic assembly, dedicated charging device, or anyother contemplated electronic device. Example host devices 11, withwhich the wireless transmission system 20 may be associated therewith,include, but are not limited to including, a device that includes anintegrated circuit, cases for wearable electronic devices, receptaclesfor electronic devices, a portable computing device, clothing configuredwith electronics, storage medium for electronic devices, chargingapparatus for one or multiple electronic devices, dedicated electricalcharging devices, activity or sport related equipment, goods, and/ordata collection devices, among other contemplated electronic devices.

As illustrated, one or both of the wireless transmission system 20 andthe host device 11 are operatively associated with an input power source12. The input power source 12 may be or may include one or moreelectrical storage devices, such as an electrochemical cell, a batterypack, and/or a capacitor, among other storage devices. Additionally oralternatively, the input power source 12 may be any electrical inputsource (e.g., any alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC)delivery port) and may include connection apparatus from said electricalinput source to the wireless transmission system 20 (e.g., transformers,regulators, conductive conduits, traces, wires, or equipment, goods,computer, camera, mobile phone, and/or other electrical deviceconnection ports and/or adaptors, such as but not limited to USB portsand/or adaptors, among other contemplated electrical components).

Electrical energy received by the wireless transmission system 20 isthen used for at least two purposes: to provide electrical power tointernal components of the wireless transmission system 20 and toprovide electrical power to the transmitter antenna 21. The transmitterantenna 21 is configured to wirelessly transmit the electrical signalsconditioned and modified for wireless transmission by the wirelesstransmission system 20 via near-field magnetic coupling (NFMC).Near-field magnetic coupling enables the transfer of signals wirelesslythrough magnetic induction between the transmitter antenna 21 and areceiving antenna 31 of, or associated with, the wireless receiversystem 30. Near-field magnetic coupling may be and/or be referred to as“inductive coupling,” which, as used herein, is a wireless powertransmission technique that utilizes an alternating electromagneticfield to transfer electrical energy between two antennas. Such inductivecoupling is the near field wireless transmission of magnetic energybetween two magnetically coupled coils that are tuned to resonate at asimilar frequency. Accordingly, such near-field magnetic coupling mayenable efficient wireless power transmission via resonant transmissionof confined magnetic fields. Further, such near-field magnetic couplingmay provide connection via “mutual inductance,” which, as defined hereinis the production of an electromotive force in a circuit by a change incurrent in a second circuit magnetically coupled to the first.

In one or more embodiments, the inductor coils of either the transmitterantenna 21 or the receiver antenna 31 are strategically positioned tofacilitate reception and/or transmission of wirelessly transferredelectrical signals through near field magnetic induction. Antennaoperating frequencies may comprise relatively high operating frequencyranges, examples of which may include, but are not limited to, 6.78 MHz(e.g., in accordance with the Rezence and/or Airfuel interface standardand/or any other proprietary interface standard operating at a frequencyof 6.78 MHz), 13.56 MHz (e.g., in accordance with the NFC standard,defined by ISO/IEC standard 18092), 27 MHz, and/or an operatingfrequency of another proprietary operating mode. The operatingfrequencies of the antennas 21, 31 may be operating frequenciesdesignated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in theIndustrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) frequency bands, including notlimited to 6.78 MHz, 13.56 MHz, and 27 MHz, which are designated for usein wireless power transfer. In systems wherein the wireless powertransfer system 10 is operating within the NFC-DC standards and/or draftstandards, the operating frequency may be in a range of about 13.553 MHzto about 13.567 MHz.

The transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the presentdisclosure may be configured to transmit and/or receive electrical powerhaving a magnitude that ranges from about 10 milliwatts (mW) to about500 watts (W). In one or more embodiments the inductor coil of thetransmitting antenna 21 is configured to resonate at a transmittingantenna resonant frequency or within a transmitting antenna resonantfrequency band.

As known to those skilled in the art, a “resonant frequency” or“resonant frequency band” refers a frequency or frequencies whereinamplitude response of the antenna is at a relative maximum, or,additionally or alternatively, the frequency or frequency band where thecapacitive reactance has a magnitude substantially similar to themagnitude of the inductive reactance. In one or more embodiments, thetransmitting antenna resonant frequency is at a high frequency, as knownto those in the art of wireless power transfer.

The wireless receiver system 30 may be associated with at least oneelectronic device 14, wherein the electronic device 14 may be any devicethat requires electrical power for any function and/or for power storage(e.g., via a battery and/or capacitor). Additionally, the electronicdevice 14 may be any device capable of receipt of electronicallytransmissible data. For example, the device may be, but is not limitedto being, a handheld computing device, a mobile device, a portableappliance, an integrated circuit, an identifiable tag, a kitchen utilitydevice, an electronic tool, an electric vehicle, a game console, arobotic device, a wearable electronic device (e.g., an electronic watch,electronically modified glasses, altered-reality (AR) glasses, virtualreality (VR) glasses, among other things), a portable scanning device, aportable identifying device, a sporting good, an embedded sensor, anInternet of Things (IoT) sensor, IoT enabled clothing, IoT enabledrecreational equipment, industrial equipment, medical equipment, amedical device a tablet computing device, a portable control device, aremote controller for an electronic device, a gaming controller, amongother things.

For the purposes of illustrating the features and characteristics of thedisclosed embodiments, arrow-ended lines are utilized to illustratetransferrable and/or communicative signals and various patterns are usedto illustrate electrical signals that are intended for powertransmission and electrical signals that are intended for thetransmission of data and/or control instructions. Solid lines indicatesignal transmission of electrical energy over a physical and/or wirelesspower transfer, in the form of power signals that are, ultimately,utilized in wireless power transmission from the wireless transmissionsystem 20 to the wireless receiver system 30. Further, dotted lines areutilized to illustrate electronically transmittable data signals, whichultimately may be wirelessly transmitted from the wireless transmissionsystem 20 to the wireless receiver system 30.

While the systems and methods herein illustrate the transmission ofwirelessly transmitted energy, wireless power signals, wirelesslytransmitted power, wirelessly transmitted electromagnetic energy, and/orelectronically transmittable data, it is certainly contemplated that thesystems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein may be utilized in thetransmission of only one signal, various combinations of two signals, ormore than two signals and, further, it is contemplated that the systems,method, and apparatus disclosed herein may be utilized for wirelesstransmission of other electrical signals in addition to or uniquely incombination with one or more of the above mentioned signals. In someexamples, the signal paths of solid or dotted lines may represent afunctional signal path, whereas, in practical application, the actualsignal is routed through additional components en route to its indicateddestination. For example, it may be indicated that a data signal routesfrom a communications apparatus to another communications apparatus;however, in practical application, the data signal may be routed throughan amplifier, then through a transmission antenna, to a receiverantenna, where, on the receiver end, the data signal is decoded by arespective communications device of the receiver.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the wireless connection system 10 is illustratedas a block diagram including example sub-systems of both the wirelesstransmission system 20 and the wireless receiver system 30. The wirelesstransmission system 20 may include, at least, a power conditioningsystem 40, a transmission control system 26, a transmission tuningsystem 24, and the transmission antenna 21. A first portion of theelectrical energy input from the input power source 12 is configured toelectrically power components of the wireless transmission system 20such as, but not limited to, the transmission control system 26. Asecond portion of the electrical energy input from the input powersource 12 is conditioned and/or modified for wireless powertransmission, to the wireless receiver system 30, via the transmissionantenna 21. Accordingly, the second portion of the input energy ismodified and/or conditioned by the power conditioning system 40. Whilenot illustrated, it is certainly contemplated that one or both of thefirst and second portions of the input electrical energy may bemodified, conditioned, altered, and/or otherwise changed prior toreceipt by the power conditioning system 40 and/or transmission controlsystem 26, by further contemplated subsystems (e.g., a voltageregulator, a current regulator, switching systems, fault systems, safetyregulators, among other things).

Referring now to FIG. 3, with continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2,subcomponents and/or systems of the transmission control system 26 areillustrated. The transmission control system 26 may include a sensingsystem 50, a transmission controller 28, a communications system 29, adriver 48, and a memory 27.

The transmission controller 28 may be any electronic controller orcomputing system that includes, at least, a processor which performsoperations, executes control algorithms, stores data, retrieves data,gathers data, controls and/or provides communication with othercomponents and/or subsystems associated with the wireless transmissionsystem 20, and/or performs any other computing or controlling taskdesired. The transmission controller 28 may be a single controller ormay include more than one controller disposed to control variousfunctions and/or features of the wireless transmission system 20.Functionality of the transmission controller 28 may be implemented inhardware and/or software and may rely on one or more data maps relatingto the operation of the wireless transmission system 20. To that end,the transmission controller 28 may be operatively associated with thememory 27. The memory may include one or more of internal memory,external memory, and/or remote memory (e.g., a database and/or serveroperatively connected to the transmission controller 28 via a network,such as, but not limited to, the Internet). The internal memory and/orexternal memory may include, but are not limited to including, one ormore of a read only memory (ROM), including programmable read-onlymemory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM orsometimes but rarely labelled EROM), electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), random access memory (RAM), including dynamicRAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), singledata rate synchronous dynamic RAM (SDR SDRAM), double data ratesynchronous dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4), and graphicsdouble data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (GDDR SDRAM, GDDR2, GDDR3,GDDR4, GDDR5, a flash memory, a portable memory, and the like. Suchmemory media are examples of nontransitory machine readable and/orcomputer readable memory media.

While particular elements of the transmission control system 26 areillustrated as independent components and/or circuits (e.g., the driver48, the memory 27, the communications system 29, the sensing system 50,among other contemplated elements) of the transmission control system26, such components may be integrated with the transmission controller28. In some examples, the transmission controller 28 may be anintegrated circuit configured to include functional elements of one orboth of the transmission controller 28 and the wireless transmissionsystem 20, generally.

As illustrated, the transmission controller 28 is in operativeassociation, for the purposes of data transmission, receipt, and/orcommunication, with, at least, the memory 27, the communications system29, the power conditioning system 40, the driver 48, and the sensingsystem 50. The driver 48 may be implemented to control, at least inpart, the operation of the power conditioning system 40. In someexamples, the driver 48 may receive instructions from the transmissioncontroller 28 to generate and/or output a generated pulse widthmodulation (PWM) signal to the power conditioning system 40. In somesuch examples, the PWM signal may be configured to drive the powerconditioning system 40 to output electrical power as an alternatingcurrent signal, having an operating frequency defined by the PWM signal.In some examples, PWM signal may be configured to generate a duty cyclefor the AC power signal output by the power conditioning system 40. Insome such examples, the duty cycle may be configured to be about 50% ofa given period of the AC power signal.

The sensing system may include one or more sensors, wherein each sensormay be operatively associated with one or more components of thewireless transmission system 20 and configured to provide informationand/or data. The term “sensor” is used in its broadest interpretation todefine one or more components operatively associated with the wirelesstransmission system 20 that operate to sense functions, conditions,electrical characteristics, operations, and/or operating characteristicsof one or more of the wireless transmission system 20, the wirelessreceiving system 30, the input power source 12, the host device 11, thetransmission antenna 21, the receiver antenna 31, along with any othercomponents and/or subcomponents thereof.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the sensing system 50 mayinclude, but is not limited to including, a thermal sensing system 52,an object sensing system 54, a receiver sensing system 56, and/or anyother sensor(s) 58. Within these systems, there may exist even morespecific optional additional or alternative sensing systems addressingparticular sensing aspects required by an application, such as, but notlimited to: a condition-based maintenance sensing system, a performanceoptimization sensing system, a state-of-charge sensing system, atemperature management sensing system, a component heating sensingsystem, an IoT sensing system, an energy and/or power management sensingsystem, an impact detection sensing system, an electrical status sensingsystem, a speed detection sensing system, a device health sensingsystem, among others. The object sensing system 54, may be a foreignobject detection (FOD) system.

Each of the thermal sensing system 52, the object sensing system 54, thereceiver sensing system 56 and/or the other sensor(s) 58, including theoptional additional or alternative systems, are operatively and/orcommunicatively connected to the transmission controller 28. The thermalsensing system 52 is configured to monitor ambient and/or componenttemperatures within the wireless transmission system 20 or otherelements nearby the wireless transmission system 20. The thermal sensingsystem 52 may be configured to detect a temperature within the wirelesstransmission system 20 and, if the detected temperature exceeds athreshold temperature, the transmission controller 28 prevents thewireless transmission system 20 from operating. Such a thresholdtemperature may be configured for safety considerations, operationalconsiderations, efficiency considerations, and/or any combinationsthereof. In a non-limiting example, if, via input from the thermalsensing system 52, the transmission controller 28 determines that thetemperature within the wireless transmission system 20 has increasedfrom an acceptable operating temperature to an undesired operatingtemperature (e.g., in a non-limiting example, the internal temperatureincreasing from about 20° Celsius (C) to about 50° C., the transmissioncontroller 28 prevents the operation of the wireless transmission system20 and/or reduces levels of power output from the wireless transmissionsystem 20. In some non-limiting examples, the thermal sensing system 52may include one or more of a thermocouple, a thermistor, a negativetemperature coefficient (NTC) resistor, a resistance temperaturedetector (RTD), and/or any combinations thereof.

As depicted in FIG. 4, the transmission sensing system 50 may includethe object sensing system 54. The object sensing system 54 may beconfigured to detect one or more of the wireless receiver system 30and/or the receiver antenna 31, thus indicating to the transmissioncontroller 28 that the receiver system 30 is proximate to the wirelesstransmission system 20. Additionally or alternatively, the objectsensing system 54 may be configured to detect presence of unwantedobjects in contact with or proximate to the wireless transmission system20. In some examples, the object sensing system 54 is configured todetect the presence of an undesired object. In some such examples, ifthe transmission controller 28, via information provided by the objectsensing system 54, detects the presence of an undesired object, then thetransmission controller 28 prevents or otherwise modifies operation ofthe wireless transmission system 20. In some examples, the objectsensing system 54 utilizes an impedance change detection scheme, inwhich the transmission controller 28 analyzes a change in electricalimpedance observed by the transmission antenna 20 against a known,acceptable electrical impedance value or range of electrical impedancevalues.

Additionally or alternatively, the object sensing system 54 may utilizea quality factor (Q) change detection scheme, in which the transmissioncontroller 28 analyzes a change from a known quality factor value orrange of quality factor values of the object being detected, such as thereceiver antenna 31. The “quality factor” or “Q” of an inductor can bedefined as (frequency (Hz)×inductance (H))/resistance (ohms), wherefrequency is the operational frequency of the circuit, inductance is theinductance output of the inductor and resistance is the combination ofthe radiative and reactive resistances that are internal to theinductor. “Quality factor,” as defined herein, is generally accepted asan index (figure of measure) that measures the efficiency of anapparatus like an antenna, a circuit, or a resonator. In some examples,the object sensing system 54 may include one or more of an opticalsensor, an electro-optical sensor, a Hall effect sensor, a proximitysensor, and/or any combinations thereof.

The receiver sensing system 56 is any sensor, circuit, and/orcombinations thereof configured to detect presence of any wirelessreceiving system that may be couplable with the wireless transmissionsystem 20. In some examples, the receiver sensing system 56 and theobject sensing system 54 may be combined, may share components, and/ormay be embodied by one or more common components. In some examples, ifthe presence of any such wireless receiving system is detected, wirelesstransmission of electrical energy, electrical power, electromagneticenergy, and/or data by the wireless transmission system 20 to saidwireless receiving system is enabled. In some examples, if the presenceof a wireless receiver system is not detected, continued wirelesstransmission of electrical energy, electrical power, electromagneticenergy, and/or data is prevented from occurring. Accordingly, thereceiver sensing system 56 may include one or more sensors and/or may beoperatively associated with one or more sensors that are configured toanalyze electrical characteristics within an environment of or proximateto the wireless transmission system 20 and, based on the electricalcharacteristics, determine presence of a wireless receiver system 30.

Referring now to FIG. 5A, and with continued reference to FIGS. 1-4, ablock diagram illustrating an embodiment of the power conditioningsystem 40 is illustrated. At the power conditioning system 40,electrical power is received, generally, as a DC power source, via theinput power source 12 itself or an intervening power converter,converting an AC source to a DC source (not shown). A voltage regulator46 receives the electrical power from the input power source 12 and isconfigured to provide electrical power for transmission by the antenna21 and provide electrical power for powering components of the wirelesstransmission system 21. Accordingly, the voltage regulator 46 isconfigured to convert the received electrical power into at least twoelectrical power signals, each at a proper voltage for operation of therespective downstream components: a first electrical power signal toelectrically power any components of the wireless transmission system 20and a second portion conditioned and modified for wireless transmissionto the wireless receiver system 30. As illustrated in FIG. 3, such afirst portion is transmitted to, at least, the sensing system 50, thetransmission controller 28, and the communications system 29; however,the first portion is not limited to transmission to just thesecomponents and can be transmitted to any electrical components of thewireless transmission system 20.

The second portion of the electrical power is provided to an amplifier42 of the power conditioning system 40, which is configured to conditionthe electrical power for wireless transmission by the antenna 21. Theamplifier may function as an invertor, which receives an input DC powersignal from the voltage regulator 46 and generates an AC as output,based, at least in part, on PWM input from the transmission controlsystem 26. The amplifier 42 may be or include, for example, a powerstage invertor, such as a dual field effect transistor power stageinvertor or a quadruple field effect transistor power stage invertor.The use of the amplifier 42 within the power conditioning system 40 and,in turn, the wireless transmission system 20 enables wirelesstransmission of electrical signals having much greater amplitudes thanif transmitted without such an amplifier. For example, the addition ofthe amplifier 42 may enable the wireless transmission system 20 totransmit electrical energy as an electrical power signal havingelectrical power from about 10 mW to about 500 W. In some examples, theamplifier 42 may be or may include one or more class-E power amplifiers.Class-E power amplifiers are efficiently tuned switching poweramplifiers designed for use at high frequencies (e.g., frequencies fromabout 1 MHz to about 1 GHz). Generally, a class-E amplifier employs asingle-pole switching element and a tuned reactive network between theswitch and an output load (e.g., the antenna 21). Class E amplifiers mayachieve high efficiency at high frequencies by only operating theswitching element at points of zero current (e.g., on-to-off switching)or zero voltage (off to on switching). Such switching characteristicsmay minimize power lost in the switch, even when the switching time ofthe device is long compared to the frequency of operation. However, theamplifier 42 is certainly not limited to being a class-E power amplifierand may be or may include one or more of a class D amplifier, a class EFamplifier, an H invertor amplifier, and/or a push-pull invertor, amongother amplifiers that could be included as part of the amplifier 42.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the power conditioning system 40 and/or thewireless transmission system 20, overall, may include a damping circuit60, 60A. In the illustration of FIG. 5A, the damping circuit 60A may beelectrically connected to the amplifier 42. The damping circuit 60 isconfigured for damping the AC wireless signal during transmission of theAC wireless signal and associated data signals. The damping circuit 60may be configured to reduce rise and fall times during signaltransmission, such that the rate of the data signals may not only becompliant and/or legible, but may also achieve faster data rates and/orenhanced data ranges, when compared to legacy systems. While illustratedas in electrical connection with the output of the amplifier 42 in FIG.5A (e.g., in electrical parallel with the output of the amplifier 42),in some other embodiments the damping circuit 60 may connect within thewireless transmission system 20 at another location in the signal path.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the damping circuit 60B may bein electrical connection with the transmission antenna 21 (e.g., inelectrical parallel with the transmission antenna 21).

Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the wireless transmission system 20 isillustrated, further detailing elements of the power conditioning system40, the amplifier 42, the tuning system 24, among other things. Theblock diagram of the wireless transmission system 20 illustrates one ormore electrical signals and the conditioning of such signals, alteringof such signals, transforming of such signals, inverting of suchsignals, amplification of such signals, and combinations thereof. InFIG. 6, DC power signals are illustrated with heavily bolded lines, suchthat the lines are significantly thicker than other solid lines in FIG.6 and other figures of the instant application, AC signals areillustrated as substantially sinusoidal wave forms with a thicknesssignificantly less bolded than that of the DC power signal bolding, anddata signals are represented as dotted lines. It is to be noted that theAC signals are not necessarily substantially sinusoidal waves and may beany AC waveform suitable for the purposes described below (e.g., a halfsine wave, a square wave, a half square wave, among other waveforms).FIG. 7 illustrate sample electrical components for elements of thewireless transmission system 20, and subcomponents thereof, in asimplified form. Note that FIG. 7 may represent one branch orsub-section of a schematic for the wireless transmission system 20and/or components of the wireless transmission system 20 may be omittedfrom the schematic illustrated in FIG. 7 for clarity.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 and discussed above, the input power source 11provides an input direct current voltage (V_(DC)), which may have itsvoltage level altered by the voltage regulator 46, prior to conditioningat the amplifier 42. In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 7, theamplifier 42 may include a choke inductor L_(CHOKE), which may beutilized to block radio frequency interference in V_(DC), while allowingthe DC power signal of V_(DC) to continue towards an amplifiertransistor 48 of the amplifier 42. V_(CHOKE) may be configured as anysuitable choke inductor known in the art.

The amplifier 48 is configured to alter and/or invert V_(DC) to generatean AC wireless signal V_(AC), which, as discussed in more detail below,may be configured to carry one or both of an inbound and outbound datasignal (denoted as “Data” in FIG. 6). The amplifier transistor 48 may beany switching transistor known in the art that is capable of inverting,converting, and/or conditioning a DC power signal into an AC powersignal, such as, but not limited to, a field-effect transistor (FET),gallium nitride (GaN) FETS, bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and/orwide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor transistor, among other known switchingtransistors. The amplifier transistor 48 is configured to receive adriving signal (denoted as “PWM” in FIG. 6) from at a gate of theamplifier transistor 48 (denoted as “G” in FIG. 6) and invert the DCsignal V_(DC) to generate the AC wireless signal at an operatingfrequency and/or an operating frequency band for the wireless powertransmission system 20. The driving signal may be a PWM signalconfigured for such inversion at the operating frequency and/oroperating frequency band for the wireless power transmission system 20.

The driving signal is generated and output by the transmission controlsystem 26 and/or the transmission controller 28 therein, as discussedand disclosed above. The transmission controller 26, 28 is configured toprovide the driving signal and configured to perform one or more ofencoding wireless data signals (denoted as “Data” in FIG. 6), decodingthe wireless data signals (denoted as “Data” in FIG. 6) and anycombinations thereof. In some examples, the electrical data signals maybe in band signals of the AC wireless power signal. In some suchexamples, such in-band signals may be on-off-keying (OOK) signalsin-band of the AC wireless power signals. For example, Type-Acommunications, as described in the NFC Standards, are a form of OOK,wherein the data signal is on-off-keyed in a carrier AC wireless powersignal operating at an operating frequency in a range of about 13.553MHz to about 13.567 MHz.

However, when the power, current, impedance, phase, and/or voltagelevels of an AC power signal are changed beyond the levels used incurrent and/or legacy hardware for high frequency wireless powertransfer (over about 500 mW transmitted), such legacy hardware may notbe able to properly encode and/or decode in-band data signals with therequired fidelity for communications functions. Such higher power in anAC output power signal may cause signal degradation due to increasingrise times for an OOK rise, increasing fall time for an OOK fall,overshooting the required voltage in an OOK rise, and/or undershootingthe voltage in an OOK fall, among other potential degradations to thesignal due to legacy hardware being ill equipped for higher power, highfrequency wireless power transfer. Thus, there is a need for theamplifier 42 to be designed in a way that limits and/or substantiallyremoves rise and fall times, overshoots, undershoots, and/or othersignal deficiencies from an in-band data signal during wireless powertransfer. This ability to limit and/or substantially remove suchdeficiencies allows for the systems of the instant application toprovide higher power wireless power transfer in high frequency wirelesspower transmission systems.

For further exemplary illustration, FIG. 8A illustrates a plot for afall and rise of an OOK in-band signal. The fall time (t₁) is shown asthe time between when the signal is at 90% voltage (V₄) of the intendedfull voltage (V₁) and falls to about 5% voltage (V₂) of V₁. The risetime (t₃) is shown as the time between when the signal ends being at V₂and rises to about V₄. Such rise and fall times may be read by areceiving antenna of the signal, and an applicable data communicationsprotocol may include limits on rise and fall times, such that data isnon-compliant and/or illegible by a receiver if rise and/or fall timesexceed certain bounds.

Additionally or alternatively, such in-band signals may be amplitudeshift keying (ASK) signals in-band of the AC wireless power signals. Forexample, Type-B communications, as described in the NFC Standards, are aform of ASKASK, wherein the data signal is generated by lowering thevoltage by a specified percentage of the carrier signal to generate “on”and “off” or “high” and “low” conditions in the amplitude of thecarrier; data is encoded via the “on” and “off” or “high” and “low”conditions in the carrier. In some examples of ASK, the carrier signalvoltage may be lowered by about 10% to generate the “on” and “off” or“high” and “low” conditions in the carrier signal. In some suchexamples, the carrier is an AC wireless power signal operating at anoperating frequency in a range of about 13.553 MHz to about 13.567 MHz.Further, such examples, the ASK in band signals may be compliant withthe fidelity standards for NFC Type-B communications. Such ASK signalsmay have a high state and a low state, each having, respectively, a highstate voltage and a low state voltage. In some examples, the low statevoltage may be about 90% of the high state voltage. In some suchexamples, tolerances may be allowed, in detecting the data, such thatthe low state voltage may land in a range of about 87% to about 93% ofthe high state voltage.

As discussed above, when the power, current, impedance, phase, and/orvoltage levels of an AC power signal are changed beyond the levels usedin current and/or legacy hardware for high frequency wireless powertransfer (over about 500 mW transmitted), such legacy hardware may notbe able to properly encode and/or decode in-band data signals with therequired fidelity for communications functions. Such higher power in anAC output power signal may cause signal degradation due to increasingrise times for an ASK rise, increasing fall time for an ASK fall,overshooting the required voltage in an ASK rise, and/or undershootingthe voltage in an ASK fall, among other potential degradations to thesignal due to legacy hardware being ill equipped for higher power, highfrequency wireless power transfer. Thus, there is a need for theamplifier 42 to be designed in a way that limits and/or substantiallyremoves rise and fall times, overshoots, undershoots, and/or othersignal deficiencies from an in-band data signal during wireless powertransfer. This ability to limit and/or substantially remove suchdeficiencies allows for the systems of the instant application toprovide higher power wireless power transfer in high frequency wirelesspower transmission systems.

For further exemplary illustration, FIG. 8B illustrates a plot for afall and rise of an ASK in-band signal. The fall time (t_(f)) is shownas the time between when the signal is at approximately 97-100% voltage(V₃) of the intended full voltage (V₁) and falls to about 90% voltage(V₂) of V₁. The rise time (t_(r)) is shown as the time between when thesignal ends being at V₂ and rises to about V₃. Such rise and fall timesmay be read by a receiving antenna of the signal, and an applicable datacommunications protocol may include limits on rise and fall times, suchthat data is non-compliant and/or illegible by a receiver if rise and/orfall times exceed certain bounds.

Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, the ASK signal may be degradedby one or both of undershoots and overshoots during the ASK signaling.An undershoot is when the voltage dips below the prescribed low voltage(e.g., V₂), within tolerances. For example, an undershoot is illustratedin FIG. 8 having an undershoot voltage Vu, which is lower than theprescribed low voltage V₂. Overshoots in signal voltage occur when thevoltage rises above the prescribed high voltage (e.g., V₁), withintolerances. For example, an overshoot is illustrated in FIG. 8B havingan overshoot voltage V_(O), which is greater than the prescribed highvoltage V₁. Overshoots and undershoots occurring during ASK may disruptor degrade a communications signal, thus, solutions are desired toprevent overshoots and undershoots during ASK in transfer of a wirelesspower signal.

Returning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, to achieve limitation and/or substantialremoval of the mentioned deficiencies, the wireless power transmissionsystem 20 includes a damping circuit 60. The damping circuit 60 isconfigured for damping the AC wireless signal during transmission of theAC wireless signal and associated data signals. The damping circuit 60may be configured to reduce rise and fall times during OOK or ASK signaltransmission, such that the rate of the data signals may not only becompliant and/or legible, but may also achieve faster data rates and/orenhanced data ranges, when compared to legacy systems. Additionally, thedamping circuit 60 may be configured to reduce or prevent undershootsand overshoots in the OOK or ASK signal, thus improving data fidelity inthe data signal.

For damping the AC wireless power signal, the damping circuit includes,at least, a damping transistor 63, which is configured for receiving adamping signal (V_(damp)) from the transmission controller 28. Thedamping signal is configured for switching the damping transistor(on/off) to control damping of the AC wireless signal during thetransmission and/or receipt of wireless data signals. Such transmissionof the AC wireless signals may be performed by the transmissioncontroller 28 and/or such transmission may be via transmission from thewireless receiver system 30, within the coupled magnetic field betweenthe antennas 21, 31.

In examples wherein the data signals are conveyed via OOK, the dampingsignal may be substantially opposite and/or an inverse to the state ofthe data signals. This means that if the OOK data signals are in an “on”state, the damping signals instruct the damping transistor to turn “off”and thus the signal is not dissipated via the damping circuit 60 becausethe damping circuit is not set to ground and, thus, a short from theamplifier circuit and the current substantially bypasses the dampingcircuit 60. If the OOK data signals are in an “off” state, then thedamping signals may be “on” and, thus, the damping transistor 63 is setto an “on” state and the current flowing of V_(AC) is damped by thedamping circuit. Thus, when “on,” the damping circuit 60 may beconfigured to dissipate just enough power, current, and/or voltage, suchthat efficiency in the system is not substantially affected and suchdissipation decreases rise and/or fall times in the OOK signal. Further,because the damping signal may instruct the damping transistor 63 toturn “off” when the OOK signal is “on,” then it will not unnecessarilydamp the signal, thus mitigating any efficiency losses from V_(AC), whendamping is not needed.

In examples wherein the data signals are conveyed via ASK, the dampingsignal may be substantially opposite and/or an inverse to the state ofthe data signals. This means that if the ASK data signals are in a“high” state, the damping signals instruct the damping transistor toturn “off” and thus the signal is not dissipated via the damping circuit60 because the damping circuit is not set to ground and, thus, a shortfrom the amplifier circuit and the current substantially bypasses thedamping circuit 60. If the ASK data signals are in an “low” state, thenthe damping signals may be “on” and, thus, the damping transistor 63 isset to an “on” state and the current flowing of V_(AC) is damped by thedamping circuit. Thus, when “on,” the damping circuit 60 may beconfigured to dissipate just enough power, current, and/or voltage, suchthat efficiency in the system is not substantially affected and suchdissipation decreases rise and/or fall times in the ASK signal. Further,because the damping signal may instruct the damping transistor 63 toturn “off” when the ASK signal is “high,” then it will not unnecessarilydamp the signal, thus mitigating any efficiency losses from V_(AC), whendamping is not needed.

While the damping circuit 60 is capable of functioning to properly dampthe AC wireless signal for proper communications at higher power highfrequency wireless power transmission, in some examples, the dampingcircuit may include additional components. For instance, as illustrated,the damping circuit 60 may include one or more of a damping diodeD_(DAMP), a damping resistor R_(DAMP), a damping capacitor C_(DAMP),and/or any combinations thereof. R_(DAMP) may be in electrical serieswith the damping transistor 63 and the value of R_(DAMP) (ohms) may beconfigured such that it dissipates at least some power from the powersignal, which may serve to accelerate rise and fall times in anamplitude shift keying signal, an OOK signal, and/or combinationsthereof. In some examples, the value of R_(DAMP) is selected,configured, and/or designed such that R_(DAMP) dissipates the minimumamount of power to achieve the fastest rise and/or fall times in anin-band signal allowable and/or satisfy standards limitations forminimum rise and/or fall times; thereby achieving data fidelity atmaximum efficiency (less power lost to R_(DAM)P) as well as maintainingdata fidelity when the system is unloaded and/or under lightest loadconditions.

C_(DAMP) may also be in series connection with one or both of thedamping transistor 63 and R_(DAMP). C_(DAMP) may be configured to smoothout transition points in an in-band signal and limit overshoot and/orundershoot conditions in such a signal. Further, in some examples,C_(DAMP) may be configured for ensuring the damping performed is 180degrees out of phase with the AC wireless power signal, when thetransistor is activated via the damping signal.

D_(DA)MP may further be included in series with one or more of thedamping transistor 63, R_(DAMP), C_(DAMP), and/or any combinationsthereof. D_(DAMP) is positioned, as shown, such that a current cannotflow out of the damping circuit 60, when the damping transistor 63 is inan off state. The inclusion of D_(DAM)P may prevent power efficiencyloss in the AC power signal when the damping circuit is not active or“on.” Indeed, while the damping transistor 63 is designed such that, inan ideal scenario, it serves to effectively short the damping circuitwhen in an “off” state, in practical terms, some current may still reachthe damping circuit and/or some current may possibly flow in theopposite direction out of the damping circuit 60. Thus, inclusion ofD_(DAMP) may prevent such scenarios and only allow current, power,and/or voltage to be dissipated towards the damping transistor 63. Thisconfiguration, including D_(DAMP), may be desirable when the dampingcircuit 60 is connected at the drain node of the amplifier transistor48, as the signal may be a half-wave sine wave voltage and, thus, thevoltage of V_(AC) is always positive.

As illustrated, specifically, in FIG. 7A, the damping circuit 60A isconnected in electrical parallel with output of the amplifier 42. Thus,the damping circuit 60A is configured to damp the output signals of theamplifier after filtering at the filter 65. Alternatively, asillustrated in FIG. 7B, the damping circuit may be connected inelectrical parallel with the transmitter antenna 21 and/or, in otherwords, may be in a signal path of the wireless transmission system 20between the transmission tuning system 24 and the transmission antenna21. A signal path location of the damping circuit 60 may have differenteffects on the signal damping and, thus, be utilized in differingdesired signal damping applications. For example, the location of 60Amay be ideal for damping the output signal of the power amplifier 42,prior to processing/tuning by the tuning system 24, to perform effectivesignal damping at the first amplifier-exterior location and, thus,reduce burden on down-signal path components. Alternatively, location ofthe damping circuit 60B may serve to position the damping circuit 60B asa final damping or final post-processing of the signal, prior totransmission at the transmission antenna 21.

Beyond the damping circuit 60, the amplifier 42, in some examples, mayinclude a shunt capacitor C_(SHUNT). C_(SHUNT) may be configured toshunt the AC power signal to ground and charge voltage of the AC powersignal. Thus, C_(SHUNT) may be configured to maintain an efficient andstable waveform for the AC power signal, such that a duty cycle of about50% is maintained and/or such that the shape of the AC power signal issubstantially sinusoidal at positive voltages.

In some examples, the amplifier 42 may include a filter circuit 65. Thefilter circuit 65 may be designed to mitigate and/or filter outelectromagnetic interference (EMI) within the wireless transmissionsystem 20. Design of the filter circuit 65 may be performed in view ofimpedance transfer and/or effects on the impedance transfer of thewireless power transmission due to alterations in tuning made by thetransmission tuning system 24. To that end, the filter circuit 65 may beor include one or more of a low pass filter, a high pass filter, and/ora band pass filter, among other filter circuits that are configured for,at least, mitigating EMI in a wireless power transmission system.

As illustrated, the filter circuit 65 may include a filter inductorL_(o) and a filter capacitor C_(o). The filter circuit 65 may have acomplex impedance and, thus, a resistance through the filter circuit 65may be defined as R_(o). In some such examples, the filter circuit 65may be designed and/or configured for optimization based on, at least, afilter quality factor γ_(FILTER), defined as:

$\gamma_{FILTER} = {\frac{1}{R_{o}}{\sqrt{\frac{L_{o}}{C_{o}}}.}}$

In a filter circuit 65 wherein it includes or is embodied by a low passfilter, the cut-off frequency (ω_(o)) of the low pass filter is definedas:

$\omega_{o} = {\frac{1}{\sqrt{L_{o}C_{o}}}.}$

In some wireless power transmission systems 20, it is desired that thecutoff frequency be about 1.03-1.4 times greater than the operatingfrequency of the antenna. Experimental results have determined that, ingeneral, a larger Y_(FILTER) may be preferred, because the largerγ_(FILTER) can improve voltage gain and improve system voltage rippleand timing. Thus, the above values for L_(o) and C_(o) may be set suchthat γ_(FILTER) can be optimized to its highest, ideal level (e.g., whenthe system 10 impedance is conjugately matched for maximum powertransfer), given cutoff frequency restraints and available componentsfor the values of L_(o) and C_(o).

As illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 7A, the damping circuit 60A, is positionedat the output of the amplifier 42. In such examples, this may aid inproperly damping the output AC wireless signal, as it will be able todamp at the node closest to the amplifier 42 output, wherein energydissipation is desired. In such examples, the damping circuit is inelectrical parallel connection with a drain of the amplifier transistor48. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 6B, 7B, the damping circuit60B is positioned in between the transmission tuning system 24 and thetransmitter antenna 21. In such examples, this may aid in properlydamping the output AC wireless signal, as it will be able to damp at thenode closest to the output mechanism, the transmitter antenna 21, of theAC wireless signals from the wireless transmission system 20.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the conditioned signal(s) from the amplifier42 is then received by the transmission tuning system 24, prior totransmission by the antenna 21. The transmission tuning system 24 mayinclude tuning and/or impedance matching, filters (e.g. a low passfilter, a high pass filter, a “pi” or “Π” filter, a “T” filter, an “L”filter, a “LL” filter, and/or an L-C trap filter, among other filters),network matching, sensing, and/or conditioning elements configured tooptimize wireless transfer of signals from the wireless transmissionsystem 20 to the wireless receiver system 30. Further, the transmissiontuning system 24 may include an impedance matching circuit, which isdesigned to match impedance with a corresponding wireless receiversystem 30 for given power, current, and/or voltage requirements forwireless transmission of one or more of electrical energy, electricalpower, electromagnetic energy, and electronic data. The illustratedtransmission tuning system 24 includes, at least, C_(Z1), C_(Z2). and(operatively associated with the antenna 21) values, all of which may beconfigured for impedance matching in one or both of the wirelesstransmission system 20 and the broader system 10. It is noted thatC_(Tx) refers to the intrinsic capacitance of the antenna 21.

Turning now to FIG. 9 and with continued reference to, at least, FIGS. 1and 2, the wireless receiver system 30 is illustrated in further detail.The wireless receiver system 30 is configured to receive, at least,electrical energy, electrical power, electromagnetic energy, and/orelectrically transmittable data via near field magnetic coupling fromthe wireless transmission system 20, via the transmission antenna 21. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, the wireless receiver system 30 includes, atleast, the receiver antenna 31, a receiver tuning and filtering system34, a power conditioning system 32 and a, a receiver control system 36.The receiver tuning and filtering system 34 may be configured tosubstantially match the electrical impedance of the wirelesstransmission system 20. In some examples, the receiver tuning andfiltering system 34 may be configured to dynamically adjust andsubstantially match the electrical impedance of the receiver antenna 31to a characteristic impedance of the power generator or the load at adriving frequency of the transmission antenna 20.

As illustrated, the power conditioning system 32 includes a rectifier 33and a voltage regulator 35. In some examples, the rectifier 33 is inelectrical connection with the receiver tuning and filtering system 34.The rectifier 33 is configured to modify the received electrical energyfrom an alternating current electrical energy signal to a direct currentelectrical energy signal. In some examples, the rectifier 33 iscomprised of at least one diode. Some non-limiting exampleconfigurations for the rectifier 33 include, but are not limited toincluding, a full wave rectifier, including a center tapped full waverectifier and a full wave rectifier with filter, a half wave rectifier,including a half wave rectifier with filter, a bridge rectifier,including a bridge rectifier with filter, a split supply rectifier, asingle phase rectifier, a three phase rectifier, a voltage doubler, asynchronous voltage rectifier, a controlled rectifier, an uncontrolledrectifier, and a half controlled rectifier. As electronic devices may besensitive to voltage, additional protection of the electronic device maybe provided by clipper circuits or devices. In this respect, therectifier 33 may further include a clipper circuit or a clipper device,which is a circuit or device that removes either the positive half (tophalf), the negative half (bottom half), or both the positive and thenegative halves of an input AC signal. In other words, a clipper is acircuit or device that limits the positive amplitude, the negativeamplitude, or both the positive and the negative amplitudes of the inputAC signal.

Some non-limiting examples of a voltage regulator 35 include, but arenot limited to, including a series linear voltage regulator, a buckconvertor, a low dropout (LDO) regulator, a shunt linear voltageregulator, a step up switching voltage regulator, a step down switchingvoltage regulator, an invertor voltage regulator, a Zener controlledtransistor series voltage regulator, a charge pump regulator, and anemitter follower voltage regulator. The voltage regulator 35 may furtherinclude a voltage multiplier, which is as an electronic circuit ordevice that delivers an output voltage having an amplitude (peak value)that is two, three, or more times greater than the amplitude (peakvalue) of the input voltage. The voltage regulator 35 is in electricalconnection with the rectifier 33 and configured to adjust the amplitudeof the electrical voltage of the wirelessly received electrical energysignal, after conversion to AC by the rectifier 33. In some examples,the voltage regulator 35 may an LDO linear voltage regulator; however,other voltage regulation circuits and/or systems are contemplated. Asillustrated, the direct current electrical energy signal output by thevoltage regulator 35 is received at the load 16 of the electronic device14. In some examples, a portion of the direct current electrical powersignal may be utilized to power the receiver control system 36 and anycomponents thereof; however, it is certainly possible that the receivercontrol system 36, and any components thereof, may be powered and/orreceive signals from the load 16 (e.g., when the load 16 is a batteryand/or other power source) and/or other components of the electronicdevice 14.

The receiver control system 36 may include, but is not limited toincluding, a receiver controller 38, a communications system 39 and amemory 37. The receiver controller 38 may be any electronic controlleror computing system that includes, at least, a processor which performsoperations, executes control algorithms, stores data, retrieves data,gathers data, controls and/or provides communication with othercomponents and/or subsystems associated with the wireless receiversystem 30. The receiver controller 38 may be a single controller or mayinclude more than one controller disposed to control various functionsand/or features of the wireless receiver system 30. Functionality of thereceiver controller 38 may be implemented in hardware and/or softwareand may rely on one or more data maps relating to the operation of thewireless receiver system 30. To that end, the receiver controller 38 maybe operatively associated with the memory 37. The memory may include oneor both of internal memory, external memory, and/or remote memory (e.g.,a database and/or server operatively connected to the receivercontroller 38 via a network, such as, but not limited to, the Internet).The internal memory and/or external memory may include, but are notlimited to including, one or more of a read only memory (ROM), includingprogrammable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM or sometimes but rarely labelled EROM), electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), random access memory(RAM), including dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronousdynamic RAM (SDRAM), single data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRSDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (DDR SDRAM, DDR2, DDR3,DDR4), and graphics double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM (GDDRSDRAM, GDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4, GDDR5, a flash memory, a portable memory,and the like. Such memory media are examples of nontransitory computerreadable memory media.

Further, while particular elements of the receiver control system 36 areillustrated as subcomponents and/or circuits (e.g., the memory 37, thecommunications system 39, among other contemplated elements) of thereceiver control system 36, such components may be external of thereceiver controller 38. In some examples, the receiver controller 38 maybe and/or include one or more integrated circuits configured to includefunctional elements of one or both of the receiver controller 38 and thewireless receiver system 30, generally. As used herein, the term“integrated circuits” generally refers to a circuit in which all or someof the circuit elements are inseparably associated and electricallyinterconnected so that it is considered to be indivisible for thepurposes of construction and commerce. Such integrated circuits mayinclude, but are not limited to including, thin-film transistors,thick-film technologies, and/or hybrid integrated circuits.

In some examples, the receiver controller 38 may be a dedicated circuitconfigured to send and receive data at a given operating frequency. Forexample, the receiver controller 38 may be a tagging or identifierintegrated circuit, such as, but not limited to, an NFC tag and/orlabelling integrated circuit. Examples of such NFC tags and/or labellingintegrated circuits include the NTAG® family of integrated circuitsmanufactured by NXP Semiconductors N.V. However, the communicationssystem 39 is certainly not limited to these example components and, insome examples, the communications system 39 may be implemented withanother integrated circuit (e.g., integrated with the receivercontroller 38), and/or may be another transceiver of or operativelyassociated with one or both of the electronic device 14 and the wirelessreceiver system 30, among other contemplated communication systemsand/or apparatus. Further, in some examples, functions of thecommunications system 39 may be integrated with the receiver controller38, such that the controller modifies the inductive field between theantennas 21, 31 to communicate in the frequency band of wireless powertransfer operating frequency.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example, non-limiting embodiment of one or moreof the transmission antenna 21 and the receiver antenna 31 that may beused with any of the systems, methods, and/or apparatus disclosedherein. In the illustrated embodiment, the antenna 21, 31, is a flatspiral coil configuration. Non-limiting examples can be found in U.S.Pat. Nos. 9,941,743, 9,960,628, 9,941,743 all to Peralta et al.; U.S.Pat. Nos. 9,948,129, 10,063,100 to Singh et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 9,941,590to Luzinski; U.S. Pat. No. 9,960,629 to Rajagopalan et al.; and U.S.Patent App. Nos. 2017/0040107, 2017/0040105, 2017/0040688 to Peralta etal.; all of which are assigned to the assignee of the presentapplication and incorporated fully herein by reference.

In addition, the antenna 21, 31 may be constructed having amulti-layer-multi-turn (MLMT) construction in which at least oneinsulator is positioned between a plurality of conductors. Non-limitingexamples of antennas having an MLMT construction that may beincorporated within the wireless transmission system(s) 20 and/or thewireless receiver system(s) 30 may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,610,530,8,653,927, 8,680,960, 8,692,641, 8,692,642, 8,698,590, 8,698,591,8,707,546, 8,710,948, 8,803,649, 8,823,481, 8,823,482, 8,855,786,8,898,885, 9,208,942, 9,232,893, and 9,300,046 to Singh et al., all ofwhich are assigned to the assignee of the present application areincorporated fully herein. These are merely exemplary antenna examples;however, it is contemplated that the antennas 21, 31 may be any antennacapable of the aforementioned higher power, high frequency wirelesspower transfer.

FIG. 11 is an example block diagram for a method 1000 of designing asystem for wirelessly transferring one or more of electrical energy,electrical power, electromagnetic energy, and electronic data, inaccordance with the systems, methods, and apparatus of the presentdisclosure. To that end, the method 1000 may be utilized to design asystem in accordance with any disclosed embodiments of the system 10 andany components thereof.

At block 1200, the method 1000 includes designing a wirelesstransmission system for use in the system 10. The wireless transmissionsystem designed at block 1200 may be designed in accordance with one ormore of the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the wirelesstransmission system 20, in whole or in part and, optionally, includingany components thereof. Block 1200 may be implemented as a method 1200for designing a wireless transmission system.

Turning now to FIG. 12 and with continued reference to the method 1000of FIG. 11, an example block diagram for the method 1200 for designing awireless transmission system is illustrated. The wireless transmissionsystem designed by the method 1200 may be designed in accordance withone or more of the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments of thewireless transmission system 20 in whole or in part and, optionally,including any components thereof. The method 1200 includes designingand/or selecting a transmission antenna for the wireless transmissionsystem, as illustrated in block 1210. The designed and/or selectedtransmission antenna may be designed and/or selected in accordance withone or more of the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments of thetransmission antenna 21, in whole or in part and including anycomponents thereof. The method 1200 also includes designing and/ortuning a transmission tuning system for the wireless transmissionsystem, as illustrated in block 1220. Such designing and/or tuning maybe utilized for, but not limited to being utilized for, impedancematching, as discussed in more detail above. The designed and/or tunedtransmission tuning system may be designed and/or tuned in accordancewith one or more of the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments ofwireless transmission system 20, in whole or in part and, optionally,including any components thereof.

The method 1200 further includes designing a power conditioning systemfor the wireless transmission system, as illustrated in block 1230. Thepower conditioning system designed may be designed with any of aplurality of power output characteristic considerations, such as, butnot limited to, power transfer efficiency, maximizing a transmission gap(e.g., the gap 17), increasing output voltage to a receiver, mitigatingpower losses during wireless power transfer, increasing power outputwithout degrading fidelity for data communications, optimizing poweroutput for multiple coils receiving power from a common circuit and/oramplifier, among other contemplated power output characteristicconsiderations. The power conditioning system may be designed inaccordance with one or more of the aforementioned and disclosedembodiments of the power conditioning system 40, in whole or in partand, optionally, including any components thereof. Further, at block1240, the method 1200 may involve determining and/or optimizing aconnection, and any associated connection components, between the inputpower source 12 and the power conditioning system that is designed atblock 1230. Such determining and/or optimizing may include selecting andimplementing protection mechanisms and/or apparatus, selecting and/orimplementing voltage protection mechanisms, among other things.

The method 1200 further includes designing and/or programing atransmission control system of the wireless transmission system of themethod 1000, as illustrated in block 1250. The designed transmissioncontrol system may be designed in accordance with one or more of theaforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the transmission controlsystem 26, in whole or in part and, optionally, including any componentsthereof. Such components thereof include, but are not limited toincluding, the sensing system 50, the driver 41, the transmissioncontroller 28, the memory 27, the communications system 29, the thermalsensing system 52, the object sensing system 54, the receiver sensingsystem 56, the other sensor(s) 58, the gate voltage regulator 43, thePWM generator 41, the frequency generator 348, in whole or in part and,optionally, including any components thereof.

Returning now to FIG. 11, at block 1300, the method 1000 includesdesigning a wireless receiver system for use in the system 10. Thewireless transmission system designed at block 1300 may be designed inaccordance with one or more of the aforementioned and disclosedembodiments of the wireless receiver system 30 in whole or in part and,optionally, including any components thereof. Block 1300 may beimplemented as a method 1300 for designing a wireless receiver system.

Turning now to FIG. 13 and with continued reference to the method 1000of FIG. 11, an example block diagram for the method 1300 for designing awireless receiver system is illustrated. The wireless receiver systemdesigned by the method 1300 may be designed in accordance with one ormore of the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the wirelessreceiver system 30 in whole or in part and, optionally, including anycomponents thereof. The method 1300 includes designing and/or selectinga receiver antenna for the wireless receiver system, as illustrated inblock 1310. The designed and/or selected receiver antenna may bedesigned and/or selected in accordance with one or more of theaforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the receiver antenna 31, inwhole or in part and including any components thereof. The method 1300includes designing and/or tuning a receiver tuning system for thewireless receiver system, as illustrated in block 1320. Such designingand/or tuning may be utilized for, but not limited to being utilizedfor, impedance matching, as discussed in more detail above. The designedand/or tuned receiver tuning system may be designed and/or tuned inaccordance with one or more of the aforementioned and disclosedembodiments of the receiver tuning and filtering system 34 in whole orin part and/or, optionally, including any components thereof.

The method 1300 further includes designing a power conditioning systemfor the wireless receiver system, as illustrated in block 1330. Thepower conditioning system may be designed with any of a plurality ofpower output characteristic considerations, such as, but not limited to,power transfer efficiency, maximizing a transmission gap (e.g., the gap17), increasing output voltage to a receiver, mitigating power lossesduring wireless power transfer, increasing power output withoutdegrading fidelity for data communications, optimizing power output formultiple coils receiving power from a common circuit and/or amplifier,among other contemplated power output characteristic considerations. Thepower conditioning system may be designed in accordance with one or moreof the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the powerconditioning system 32 in whole or in part and, optionally, includingany components thereof. Further, at block 1340, the method 1300 mayinvolve determining and/or optimizing a connection, and any associatedconnection components, between the load 16 and the power conditioningsystem of block 1330. Such determining may include selecting andimplementing protection mechanisms and/or apparatus, selecting and/orimplementing voltage protection mechanisms, among other things.

The method 1300 further includes designing and/or programing a receivercontrol system of the wireless receiver system of the method 1300, asillustrated in block 1350. The designed receiver control system may bedesigned in accordance with one or more of the aforementioned anddisclosed embodiments of the receiver control system 36 in whole or inpart and, optionally, including any components thereof. Such componentsthereof include, but are not limited to including, the receivercontroller 38, the memory 37, and the communications system 39, in wholeor in part and, optionally, including any components thereof.

Returning now to the method 1000 of FIG. 11, the method 1000 furtherincludes, at block 1400, optimizing and/or tuning both the wirelesstransmission system and the wireless receiver system for wireless powertransfer. Such optimizing and/or tuning includes, but is not limited toincluding, controlling and/or tuning parameters of system components tomatch impedance, optimize and/or set voltage and/or power levels of anoutput power signal, among other things and in accordance with any ofthe disclosed systems, methods, and apparatus herein. Further, themethod 1000 includes optimizing and/or tuning one or both of thewireless transmission system and the wireless receiver system for datacommunications, in view of system characteristics necessary for wirelesspower transfer. Such optimizing and/or tuning includes, but is notlimited to including, optimizing power characteristics for concurrenttransmission of electrical power signals and electrical data signals,tuning quality factors of antennas for different transmission schemes,among other things and in accordance with any of the disclosed systems,methods, and apparatus herein.

FIG. 14 is an example block diagram for a method 2000 for manufacturinga system for wirelessly transferring one or both of electrical powersignals and electrical data signals, in accordance with the systems,methods, and apparatus of the present disclosure. To that end, themethod 2000 may be utilized to manufacture a system in accordance withany disclosed embodiments of the system 10 and any components thereof.

At block 2200, the method 2000 includes manufacturing a wirelesstransmission system for use in the system 10. The wireless transmissionsystem manufactured at block 2200 may be designed in accordance with oneor more of the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the wirelesstransmission system 20 in whole or in part and, optionally, includingany components thereof. Block 2200 may be implemented as a method 2200for manufacturing a wireless transmission system.

Turning now to FIG. 15 and with continued reference to the method 2000of FIG. 20, an example block diagram for the method 2200 formanufacturing a wireless transmission system is illustrated. Thewireless transmission system manufactured by the method 2200 may bemanufactured in accordance with one or more of the aforementioned anddisclosed embodiments of the wireless transmission system 20 in whole orin part and, optionally, including any components thereof. The method2200 includes manufacturing a transmission antenna for the wirelesstransmission system, as illustrated in block 2210. The manufacturedtransmission system may be built and/or tuned in accordance with one ormore of the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the transmissionantenna 21, in whole or in part and including any components thereof.The method 2200 also includes building and/or tuning a transmissiontuning system for the wireless transmission system, as illustrated inblock 2220. Such building and/or tuning may be utilized for, but notlimited to being utilized for, impedance matching, as discussed in moredetail above. The built and/or tuned transmission tuning system may bedesigned and/or tuned in accordance with one or more of theaforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the transmission tuningsystem 24, in whole or in part and, optionally, including any componentsthereof.

The method 2200 further includes selecting and/or connecting a powerconditioning system for the wireless transmission system, as illustratedin block 2230. The power conditioning system manufactured may bedesigned with any of a plurality of power output characteristicconsiderations, such as, but not limited to, power transfer efficiency,maximizing a transmission gap (e.g., the gap 17), increasing outputvoltage to a receiver, mitigating power losses during wireless powertransfer, increasing power output without degrading fidelity for datacommunications, optimizing power output for multiple coils receivingpower from a common circuit and/or amplifier, among other contemplatedpower output characteristic considerations. The power conditioningsystem may be designed in accordance with one or more of theaforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the power conditioningsystem 40 in whole or in part and, optionally, including any componentsthereof. Further, at block 2240, the method 2200 involve determiningand/or optimizing a connection, and any associated connectioncomponents, between the input power source 12 and the power conditioningsystem of block 2230. Such determining may include selecting andimplementing protection mechanisms and/or apparatus, selecting and/orimplementing voltage protection mechanisms, among other things.

The method 2200 further includes assembling and/or programing atransmission control system of the wireless transmission system of themethod 2000, as illustrated in block 2250. The assembled transmissioncontrol system may be assembled and/or programmed in accordance with oneor more of the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments of thetransmission control system 26 in whole or in part and, optionally,including any components thereof. Such components thereof include, butare not limited to including, the sensing system 50, the driver 41, thetransmission controller 28, the memory 27, the communications system 29,the thermal sensing system 52, the object sensing system 54, thereceiver sensing system 56, the other sensor(s) 58, the gate voltageregulator 43, the PWM generator 41, the frequency generator 348, inwhole or in part and, optionally, including any components thereof.

Returning now to FIG. 14, at block 2300, the method 2000 includesmanufacturing a wireless receiver system for use in the system 10. Thewireless transmission system manufactured at block 2300 may be designedin accordance with one or more of the aforementioned and disclosedembodiments of the wireless receiver system 30 in whole or in part and,optionally, including any components thereof. Block 2300 may beimplemented as a method 2300 for manufacturing a wireless receiversystem.

Turning now to FIG. 16 and with continued reference to the method 2000of FIG. 20, an example block diagram for the method 2300 formanufacturing a wireless receiver system is illustrated. The wirelessreceiver system manufactured by the method 2300 may be designed inaccordance with one or more of the aforementioned and disclosedembodiments of the wireless receiver system 30 in whole or in part and,optionally, including any components thereof. The method 2300 includesmanufacturing a receiver antenna for the wireless receiver system, asillustrated in block 2310. The manufactured receiver antenna may bemanufactured, designed, and/or selected in accordance with one or moreof the aforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the receiver antenna31 in whole or in part and including any components thereof. The method2300 includes building and/or tuning a receiver tuning system for thewireless receiver system, as illustrated in block 2320. Such buildingand/or tuning may be utilized for, but not limited to being utilizedfor, impedance matching, as discussed in more detail above. The builtand/or tuned receiver tuning system may be designed and/or tuned inaccordance with one or more of the aforementioned and disclosedembodiments of the receiver tuning and filtering system 34 in whole orin part and, optionally, including any components thereof.

The method 2300 further includes selecting and/or connecting a powerconditioning system for the wireless receiver system, as illustrated inblock 2330. The power conditioning system designed may be designed withany of a plurality of power output characteristic considerations, suchas, but not limited to, power transfer efficiency, maximizing atransmission gap (e.g., the gap 17), increasing output voltage to areceiver, mitigating power losses during wireless power transfer,increasing power output without degrading fidelity for datacommunications, optimizing power output for multiple coils receivingpower from a common circuit and/or amplifier, among other contemplatedpower output characteristic considerations. The power conditioningsystem may be designed in accordance with one or more of theaforementioned and disclosed embodiments of the power conditioningsystem 32 in whole or in part and, optionally, including any componentsthereof. Further, at block 2340, the method 2300 may involve determiningand/or optimizing a connection, and any associated connectioncomponents, between the load 16 and the power conditioning system ofblock 2330. Such determining may include selecting and implementingprotection mechanisms and/or apparatus, selecting and/or implementingvoltage protection mechanisms, among other things.

The method 2300 further includes assembling and/or programing a receivercontrol system of the wireless receiver system of the method 2300, asillustrated in block 2350. The assembled receiver control system may bedesigned in accordance with one or more of the aforementioned anddisclosed embodiments of the receiver control system 36 in whole or inpart and, optionally, including any components thereof. Such componentsthereof include, but are not limited to including, the receivercontroller 38, the memory 37, and the communications system 39, in wholeor in part and, optionally, including any components thereof.

Returning now to the method 2000 of FIG. 14, the method 2000 furtherincludes, at block 2400, optimizing and/or tuning both the wirelesstransmission system and the wireless receiver system for wireless powertransfer. Such optimizing and/or tuning includes, but is not limited toincluding, controlling and/or tuning parameters of system components tomatch impedance, optimize and/or configure voltage and/or power levelsof an output power signal, among other things and in accordance with anyof the disclosed systems, methods, and apparatus herein. Further, themethod 2000 includes optimizing and/or tuning one or both of thewireless transmission system and the wireless receiver system for datacommunications, in view of system characteristics necessary for wirelesspower transfer, as illustrated at block 2500. Such optimizing and/ortuning includes, but is not limited to including, optimizing powercharacteristics for concurrent transmission of electrical power signalsand electrical data signals, tuning quality factors of antennas fordifferent transmission schemes, among other things and in accordancewith any of the disclosed systems, methods, and apparatus herein.

The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein are designed tooperate in an efficient, stable and reliable manner to satisfy a varietyof operating and environmental conditions. The systems, methods, and/orapparatus disclosed herein are designed to operate in a wide range ofthermal and mechanical stress environments so that data and/orelectrical energy is transmitted efficiently and with minimal loss. Inaddition, the system 10 may be designed with a small form factor using afabrication technology that allows for scalability, and at a cost thatis amenable to developers and adopters. In addition, the systems,methods, and apparatus disclosed herein may be designed to operate overa wide range of frequencies to meet the requirements of a wide range ofapplications.

In an embodiment, a ferrite shield may be incorporated within theantenna structure to improve antenna performance. Selection of theferrite shield material may be dependent on the operating frequency asthe complex magnetic permeability (μ=μ′−j*μ″) is frequency dependent.The material may be a polymer, a sintered flexible ferrite sheet, arigid shield, or a hybrid shield, wherein the hybrid shield comprises arigid portion and a flexible portion. Additionally, the magnetic shieldmay be composed of varying material compositions. Examples of materialsmay include, but are not limited to, zinc comprising ferrite materialssuch as manganese-zinc, nickel-zinc, copper-zinc, magnesium-zinc, andcombinations thereof.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series ofitems, with the term “and” or “or” to separate any of the items,modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list (i.e.,each item). The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection ofat least one of each item listed; rather, the phrase allows a meaningthat includes at least one of any one of the items, and/or at least oneof any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of theitems. By way of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or“at least one of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C;any combination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, andC.

The predicate words “configured to”, “operable to”, and “programmed to”do not imply any particular tangible or intangible modification of asubject, but, rather, are intended to be used interchangeably. In one ormore embodiments, a processor configured to monitor and control anoperation or a component may also mean the processor being programmed tomonitor and control the operation or the processor being operable tomonitor and control the operation. Likewise, a processor configured toexecute code can be construed as a processor programmed to execute codeor operable to execute code.

A phrase such as “an aspect” does not imply that such aspect isessential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to anaspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations.An aspect may provide one or more examples of the disclosure. A phrasesuch as an “aspect” may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. Aphrase such as an “embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment isessential to the subject technology or that such embodiment applies toall configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating toan embodiment may apply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments.An embodiment may provide one or more examples of the disclosure. Aphrase such an “embodiment” may refer to one or more embodiments andvice versa. A phrase such as a “configuration” does not imply that suchconfiguration is essential to the subject technology or that suchconfiguration applies to all configurations of the subject technology. Adisclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurations,or one or more configurations. A configuration may provide one or moreexamples of the disclosure. A phrase such as a “configuration” may referto one or more configurations and vice versa.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” or as an “example” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Furthermore, to theextent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in thedescription or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in amanner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted whenemployed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extentthat the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the descriptionor the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similarto the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as atransitional word in a claim.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor.”

Reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one andonly one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.”Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one ormore. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine andneuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. Headings andsubheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit thesubject disclosure.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of what may be claimed, but ratheras descriptions of particular implementations of the subject matter.Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in asingle embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described inthe context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multipleembodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover,although features may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a sub combination.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless power transmission system comprising:a transmitter antenna configured to couple with at least one otherantenna and transmit alternating current (AC) wireless signals to the atleast one other antenna, the AC wireless signals including wirelesspower signals and wireless data signals; a transmitter controller thatis configured to (i) provide a driving signal for driving thetransmitter antenna based on an operating frequency for the wirelesspower transmission system and (ii) perform one or more of encoding thewireless data signals, decoding the wireless data signals, receiving thewireless data signals, or transmitting the wireless data signals; anamplifier, the amplifier including at least one transistor that isconfigured to receive the driving signal at a gate of the at least onetransistor and invert a direct power (DC) input power signal to generatethe AC wireless signals at the operating frequency; and a dampingcircuit configured to dampen the AC wireless signals during transmissionof the wireless data signals, wherein the damping circuit includes atleast a damping transistor that is configured to receive, from thetransmitter controller, a damping signal for switching the dampingtransistor to control damping during transmission of the wireless datasignals, the damping circuit connected in electrical parallel with theamplifier.
 2. The wireless power transmission system of claim 1, whereinthe wireless data signals are in-band signals of the wireless powersignals and the damping of the AC wireless signals is configured toreduce one or both of rise and fall times in the wireless data signals,during in-band transmission of the wireless data signals.
 3. Thewireless power transmission system of claim 2, wherein the wireless datasignals are in-band on-off-keying signals of the wireless power signals.4. The wireless power transmission system of claim 3, wherein thedamping signal is a substantially opposite signal of the wireless datasignals.
 5. The wireless power transmission system of claim 2, whereinthe wireless data signals are in-band amplitude shift keying signals ofthe wireless power signals.
 6. The wireless power transmission system ofclaim 1, wherein the damping circuit further includes a damping resistorthat is in electrical series with the damping transistor and isconfigured for dissipating at least some power from the wireless powersignals.
 7. The wireless power transmission system of claim 1, whereinthe damping circuit further includes a damping capacitor that is inelectrical series with, at least, the damping transistor.
 8. Thewireless power transmission system of claim 1, wherein the dampingcircuit further includes a diode that is in electrical series with, atleast, the damping transistor and is configured for preventing powerefficiency loss in the wireless power signals when the damping circuitis not active.
 9. A wireless power transmission system comprising: atransmitter antenna configured to couple with at least one other antennaand transmit alternating current (AC) wireless signals to the at leastone other antenna, the AC wireless signals including wireless powersignals and wireless data signals; a transmitter tuning system inelectrical connection with the transmitter antenna; a transmittercontroller that is configured to (i) provide a driving signal fordriving the transmitter antenna based on an operating frequency for thewireless power transmission system and (ii) perform one or more ofencoding the wireless data signals, decoding the wireless data signals,receiving the wireless data signals, or transmitting the wireless datasignals; an amplifier, the amplifier including at least one transistorthat is configured to receive the driving signal at a gate of the atleast one transistor and invert a direct power (DC) input power signalto generate the AC wireless signals at the operating frequency; and adamping circuit that is configured to dampen the AC wireless signalsduring transmission of the wireless data signals, wherein the dampingcircuit includes at least a damping transistor that is configured toreceive, from the transmitter controller, a damping signal for switchingthe damping transistor to control damping during transmission of thewireless data signals, the damping circuit connected in electricalparallel with the transmitter tuning system.
 10. The wireless powertransmission system of claim 9, wherein the wireless data signals arein-band signals of the wireless power signals and the damping of the ACwireless signals is configured to reduce one or both of rise and falltimes in the wireless data signals, during in-band transmission of thewireless data signals.
 11. The wireless power transmission system ofclaim 10, wherein the wireless data signals are in-band on-off-keyingsignals of the wireless power signals.
 12. The wireless powertransmission system of claim 11, wherein the damping signal is asubstantially opposite signal of the wireless data signals.
 13. Thewireless power transmission system of claim 10, wherein the wirelessdata signals are in-band amplitude shift keying signals of the wirelesspower signals.
 14. The wireless power transmission system of claim 9,wherein the damping circuit further includes a damping resistor that isin electrical series with the damping transistor and is configured fordissipating at least some power from the wireless power signals.
 15. Thewireless power transmission system of claim 9, wherein the dampingcircuit further includes a damping capacitor that is in electricalseries with, at least, the damping transistor.
 16. The wireless powertransmission system of claim 9, wherein the damping circuit furtherincludes a diode that is in electrical series with, at least, thedamping transistor and is configured for preventing power efficiencyloss in the wireless power signals when the damping circuit is notactive.
 17. A listener for a Near-Field Communications Direct Charge(NFC-DC) system comprising: a transmitter antenna configured to couplewith at least one other antenna and transmit alternating current (AC)wireless signals to the at least one other antenna, the AC wirelesssignals including wireless power signals and wireless data signals; atransmitter controller that is configured to (i) provide a drivingsignal for driving the transmitter antenna based on an operatingfrequency for the NFC-DC system and (ii) perform one or more of encodingthe wireless data signals, decoding the wireless data signals, receivingthe wireless data signals, or transmitting the wireless data signals; anamplifier, the amplifier including at least one transistor that isconfigured to receive the driving signal at a gate of the at least onetransistor and invert a direct current (DC) input power signal togenerate the AC wireless signals at the operating frequency; and adamping circuit configured for damping the AC wireless signals duringtransmission of the wireless data signals, the damping circuitincluding, at least, a damping transistor configured for receiving adamping signal from the transmitter controller, the damping signalconfigured for switching the damping transistor to control dampingduring transmission of the wireless data signals.
 18. The listener ofclaim 17, wherein the damping circuit is connected in electricalparallel with the amplifier.
 19. The listener of claim 17, furthercomprising a transmitter tuning system in electrical connection with thetransmitter antenna, and wherein the damping circuit is connected inelectrical parallel with the transmitter tuning system.
 20. The listenerof claim 17, wherein the operating frequency is in a range of about13.553 MHz to about 13.567 MHz.